Ahhh! An M.Ed.! It was much more difficult to earn than a 'MRS.'! Anyone can get married, and become a "Mrs.", but to go back to school, getting a B.A., then a Masters at 50, was so much harder to accomplish! While it was important to be humble, for many people do attain the same thing, it truly made me feel like I had climbed Mt. Everest! When the music started on graduation day, I then knew how athletes felt at the Olympics; that is all I could compare it to as I stepped on that field and looked up at the roaring crowd on the bleachers!

I felt as if I was on a "high" for two weeks and had a changed perspective on life, in general. Life appeared differently, so did its meaning, things finally "clicked" and came together, and my hope was that my daughter would grow in maturity and complete her education at a much younger age. She saw how hard it was as I got older, but she did learn the importance of school. If nothing else, besides earning the credits and getting through that thesis, which I needed to earn my Masters, I provided her with the tool that she could use to measure how education changes you, for the best, my own school-bound experience!

I would never wish anyone to go through what I did while writing my thesis. I had my topic approved by my professor and worked on it for over 3 months. Then she changed my topic and I had to start all over again. The survival of that tortureous year strengthened my character. I learned that Christian music could calm the soul, as I held my head at times wondering where to start! I knew that if I could give up a social life, as I continued to work, go to class, write a 100-page paper, do research, and submit test results, while having a family, then there was no mountain that would be harder to climb!

I could not have done it without the love and support of my husband, so I dedicated that thesis to hin and my daughter; she would realize an important lesson, to complete college by 18. Never did I realize, during my early years, how much more the earning potential would have been, had I started right out of high school.

In a Psychology class, we were told to get rid of the "would haves and should haves", and look to the future; while I did move on, I wonder how much sweeter life would have been, had I been guided at a much younger age. At least, I could wish more for my child. She has listened, and is still continuing with her education. Yes, I am proud of her, but if I may humbly say, "I am proud of myself too." I learned something about life, that no school in itself could ever teach. I learned a lot about endurance and perseverance and to encourage others to map out their own life, at a young age, with permission for them to change their mind. Having a plan, a course of action, keeps one focused, I have learned.

Isn't is funny how "we get smarter and wiser as we get older?" My father's words are haunting me; things have finally come full-circle!

Learn more about this author, Carol Natoli.
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